Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Why I'm giving this any sort of recognition is beyond me, but humor me for just a second.

If you're a male, imagine life as a female hockey fan for just a moment. You root as hard for your team as the boys do, you're passionate and informed- yet even if you're well-respected and liked among your inner circle, even if you know all you can possible know about the sport and your team... someone always has to come along and treat you like a piece of meat. It's happened to me, it's happened to Christine, and it's happened to a few of the women I talk to on a daily basis.

The offending person in this instance is a man who goes by the name of @MotherPucker on Twitter, and who has his own website- Motherpucker.ca. He calls his site "Hockey News Minus the Typical Editorial BS," and that's all well and good. He also has some good content on his website, which I'm sure he's worked hard on, giving hockey news and opinions a fresh, fan-oriented spin. But he is also responsible for one of the most pointless contests I've seen in a while: The "Twitter Hockey Hotties" playoffs.

Now, I will be the first one to admit to you that a woman can be good-looking and knowledgeable. I believe that to the fullest. But it doesn't mean that all they should be noticed for is their looks. And while Mother Pucker and his readers insist that the contest is based on hockey knowledge as much as appearance, the title of the contest could have fooled me. It gives off the impression that you can have as little as one mention of the sport, and as long as you have a nice rack, you're in. I mean, just take a look at the pics these women have as their avatars, and you can be damn sure that no matter how smart some of them may be, hockey factored only slightly into the equation. Of course, you can't help but think that perhaps some of them have wanted this type of attention by the look of their pictures, and that's not okay either. Celebrate being an attractive woman, yes, but looking seductively into the camera or lying on a bed with your chest pushed up to your chin definitely sends some mixed messages. It's always been a double-edged sword, and that's something even I have worked hard to remember.

I might be one of those typical "editorial BS-ers" that he writes off as being lesser-than, but it doesn't stop me from having an opinion about this mess. We as women have to stop giving this any kind of credibility or encouragement. It's great if you're a beautiful woman, and there are many ways that you can show that off- many that don't involve you looking as though you'll tear off your clothes at any moment. And for their part, men could do well to stop treating us as though our boobs are all that matters. There are a ton of smart, well-rounded women out there who deserve to be noticed for much more than their looks.